Saturday, February 27, 2010

Those following my Twitter lunacy knew something was up. I'd alerted people to appear at certain times and places to look for people in "Flynn Lives" T shirts and say code words like "Coin Return" or "Game Over"...for what I had no idea. It just sounded like a good time if you were already in the area! The page hosting the info on this abrupt scavenger hunt features a large area that was being filled up with thumbnail sized pics from the original Tron film. Flipping these over with a click revealed a picture of a man in a Tron-like suit walking into a corridor of bright light. Below the image was an icon to click on which brought you to a page alerting you to a special event held in NY, LA, Toronto, London and Sydney below a large bit of text welcoming you to the "Pit Cell".

One day later, I'm in a theater full of twitchy geeklings at 10am with my friend Ted Geoghegan who seems equally excited. We've already got a "Flynn Lives" T shirt just for walking in the door, so anything more is just cake (especially for Ted who only walked 4 blocks or so to the screening.) We did our best to assure those around us we'd probably only see the trailer and MAYBE a few minutes of footage like the Dark Knight event held some years back. Spontaneously, random people in the audience began shouting where they had traveled from. Philadelphia...Boston...Toronto! Some girl laughed and said "There IS a screening in Toronto!!" Sadly, there was no answer to this challenge and we settled into our seats as the theater darkened and we slid on our large goofy IMAX 3D glasses (which are about 2 times the size of the Elvis Costello jobbies you get when you go to a normal 3D movie. I told Ted he looked like Captain Eo.)

Our theater crowd was so keyed up for gonzo eye candy that the green ratings card shown in 3D drew OOO's and AHHHH's from all around us. Then came the main attraction. A young boy is urged by a well dressed man to pursue his father's dreams. All roads lead back to Flynn's Arcade, which is exactly as he left it, including the hidden entrance to a secret room where Flynn's REAL toys are waiting for curious hands. A flash of light and we are in. MIND BLOWINGLY COOL!! Imagine all your dreams for what could be done with a movie as basic as Tron with effects that looked as if they were programmed on a Commodore 64. The light cycles..the monstrous red flying ships...now make it all 3D. The tone seems very tense as we flip past an array of quirky characters in glowing suits...one behaving like a mock rock star, one sexing up the screen like Miss November in a super hot Tron inspired calender and one stoic form gripping an Identity Disk with hate filled eyes.

This is going to be a MUST SEE on an IMAX 3D screen if you are able. The effects coupled with this technology is just too cool for words. I actually had chills the entire time, while Ted moaned, surely caught in the throws of continuous geekgasms as we watched. If you were already a fan of Tron, you are about to be blown out of your seat. If you just like going to the movies to be wowed by the pretty lights, you should leave this one grinning from ear to ear. You'll be able to share in our excitement soon enough!

Friday, February 26, 2010

As Activision gears up for their most insane Transformers undertaking to date, the crew dropped in on the Hasbro Toy Fair 2010 collector event to give us a sneak preview. What we saw was MIND BLOWING!! I'm not a big gamer guy, but I can tell you I'll be burning my thumbs up on this one. 1 Million years before the Transformers came to Earth. Play as Autobots or Decepticons at the start of the Cybertronian civial war. Optimus isn't even a Prime yet (but soon will be via battle termination of his leader). Watch as Bumblebee forms his alliance with Optimus. See Starscream swear allegiance to Megatron. One scene we witnessed had Optimus leading a team to activate lazer defenses to give his areal forces (led by Jetfire) a little backup. Deceptions seem to pour out of every gap in the technological landscape. Transformation appears seamless in the middle of battle. You won't be left unarmed or unprotected! Another scene we witnessed had Soundwave giving the command to charge into battle against the giant, monstrous Omega Supreme as he lays waste to your forces. The visuals are pure geek eye candy. The first confirmed Autobots are Optimus, Bumblebee and Ratchet and Starscream and Megatron for the Decepticons.

Heather Buckley asked the Activision rep about the game and was asked in return "What is the game we've wanted to play for 25 years? An over the shoulder action shooter with Transformation that tells the story of the war on Cybertron we've never seen. We've never really been to Cybertron. This is a pivitol moment in Transformers history. How did the war begin? What was the impetus for the giant rift? How did these alliances get forged? We have a GREAT story, excellent gameplay, a passionate developer and the time that we've needed to make the game that everybody wanted to play."

HB: What was it like to work with the original character designs?

Activision: We have all these original influences but this is a sort of revisualization. If we took the G1 designs and put them up on our high def TV's, it might not look quite right. They had to take some liberties with the G1 designs creating stuff that is instantly recognizable. Create something that is very familiar but really works will in this media.

HB: Tell us about Gameplay?

Activision: I don't want people to think the gameplay is like Gears of War. The control scheme is very much third person action shooter very similar to Gears. It's a control scheme that people are going to instantly recognize. You press one button to transform. The controls remain consistent. Looking right...looking left...the use of the triggers. You don't have to learn a whole new scheme just because you go into vehicle form. Honestly, we got knocked on the last time around. Everyone took it to heart and we said OK, we have to tackle the control scheme and really make sure that its right.

HB: Will we be able to go online?

Activision: There will be multiplayer, online co-op, a single player campaign..at any time you can drop in/drop out of co-op with your buddies...we have another mode to be announced soon! There are some very cool features we have yet to announce about multi player. One of the number one requested features we've heard for multi player...we've managed to ensure it is part of the game, and that's what we'll be announcing shortly.

HB: How do you reach out to the fans to get this information?

Activision: We do studies, we comb the forums, we visit the fan sites..we go everywhere. We go to Hasbro and look at the data that they have. We go to any site involving Transformers and the video games and we listened to what they say worked and didn't.

Once again, the insane world of toys takes a big action figure story and gives the exclusive to a site I've never heard about. Popeater showed off exclusive pics today of figures absent from the Hasbro Toy Fair showroom only a week ago. This also counts as the official announcement of figures for Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) and Nick Fury (Sam Jackson), as well as those we assumed we'd see (Iron Man and War Machine with removable helmets..or no helmet as they'll look like bobble heads with a helmet over those craniums), and Whiplash who we actually did shoot at the show. Still no word on the rumored, top secret 6th super-character as yet, but here's a checklist of links to our coverage so you can see what's been revealed so far...Toy Fair 2010: Hasbro: Iron Man 2Hasbro's Marvel Comics Toys at Toy Fair 2010Diamond Select's Iron Man 2 Minimates at Toy Fair 2010Iron Man 2 Drone Minimates

YAY! Finally..Viking war weapons for your kids!! I was just saying how that's what is missing from the toy isles! Couple these with the NERF Broadsword and Double Edged Axe and you are ready for a little medieval war on your block. All kidding aside, THERE BE DRAGONS AT WALMART!!

From the Studio that brought you “Shrek”, “Madagascar” and “Kung Fu Panda” comes “How to Train Your Dragon”. Set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, this is the story of Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn’t exactly fit in with his tribe’s longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers. Hiccup’s world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges he and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view. Spin Master brings the movie characters and story to life with its “How to Train Your Dragon” toy line. Battle dragons, role play your favorite characters, soar through the air like a dragon, and more! Age: 5+

Thursday, February 25, 2010

We had about 5 minutes to say hi to the Triad crew but in that time, we managed to gawk at some of the greatest 12 inch figures on this side of the planet! Now Triad drops news that their newest piece is up for pre-order. Here's the skinny...

From one of the greatest fighting game franchises ever created comes the Tekken 6: Heihachi M|X Format figure. The only character to appear in every Tekken game, Heihachi debuts the Triad Toys M|X Format figure line with a truly stunning representation of one of the most enduring characters of the Tekken franchise. Every aspect of this legendary fighter of the Mishima clan is captured to extreme detail – from his hand-tailored clothing and custom embroidered coat, to the faded clothing and hand-weathering and finish. Each piece is individually hand painted and finished to exacting standards with the prominent quality you have come to expect of Triad Toys. Each figure comes with an exclusive acrylic glass display base. Constructed of extremely durable acrylic glass, the base rests atop felt covered full metal risers to give you that distinctive museum quality display. The Heihachi M|X Format figure is a true collector’s piece with a limited edition of only 300 pieces sold worldwide. MSRP: $239.99 Release Date: May 15th

Our music content providers, DEVO, braved the northern winds of Whistler Mountain this past Monday to deliver a powerful offering of new and classic songs to the Olympic community, with fantastic results! The diverse crowd provided a perfect testing ground for the new outfits, a possible brand color (presented in the form of blue energy domes), and various new songs. Our agency partner, Mother LA, provided a researcher to observe the audience response, collecting pertinent data.

As the results of the official online Color Study continue to pour in, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your participation. Green has been an unexpected favorite, though red is still a strong classic candidate. We urge you to involve your friends and significant others throughout the remainder of the test.

As devolutionary momentum continues to build you may have also noticed that ClubDevo.com featured the song “Fresh” for a 24-hour limited download and has been streaming the song to the public. It is the first new song to be group-tested for possible inclusion on the coming album. We ask that you listen to it with an open mind and prepare yourself for the bigger upcoming survey which will feature samples from all possible songs, 12 of which will make the final "focus group approved" cut.

Until then, stay informed of public opinion by following our focus group process as documented by our corporate partners. Beginning with the Color Study, held in Los Angeles, CA, video sessions will be made available for your review. Only you can determine the future.

It won't surprise you to know I hit the toy isles at least once a week and while I'm there, I make a mental note of new products you'll want to know about. Yesterday, I saw something I never thought I would see in a financial climate like this. Most of you have no idea who "Fred" is and the rest of you wish you'd never heard the name. Fred makes videos of himself..makes faces into the camera...speeds up his voice...and a series of other things that would see him wacked in the head by any NY born father. Fred now has a toy line that mirror's his "unique" personality. What's next..Tila Tequila fashion dolls? The career series of those would be REALLY interesting! As yet, Barbie has no nude cam girl version.

Anyway, the Fred collection appears to have premiered already discounted. Maybe it started out as an internet exclusive and was then shuffled off to Toys R Us stores to provide a little discount flavor? Whatever the case may be, NECA and Mezco's toy lines have never created anything nearly as scary as these. The decline of the western civilization continues...

Die hard collectors know that Iron Man 2 toys are hitting Toys R Us locations across the USA as we speak, so we thought we'd show off the goods! Some are hanging in stores right now. Some are coming very soon. All of it..is pretty damn awesome! If you are a Marvel Comics fan, the next 2 years are going to be spectacular. It's like the 90's all over again. Hit play on the video and rock out.

You were watching the Planet Hulk animated feature film and thought..."Gee, I wish I could travel to a battle planet with the power to grab aliens by the head and squeeze until their eye jellies burst skyward!" Well, we all have dreams, and Lionsgate wants to make them come true!

On behalf of Lionsgate and Marvel, we are thrilled to announce the launch of their new online game PLANET HULK GLADIATORS. Now, you can compete to win your freedom against Sakaar’s toughest enemies. Take control of the mighty Hulk using your keyboard and defend the planet! Also, make sure to check out all of the cool extras the game offers, including stills from the film, character bios and more. Click the image to go to the official site to play now!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Disney is starting their interactive campaign for Tron Legacy with a live scavenger hunt across the globe. "Operatives" are challenged to be at a designated location at a set time, speak a code word and receive some limited edition goodies from the film, no doubt. I remember when this was done for The Dark Knight and am still envious of whom ever got that awesome Joker bowling ball. MADNESS!! CLICK HERE and join the hunt!!!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Disney takes us down the rabbit hole and into a brightly colored world where "insane" is a matter of perception. The March 5th release date of Alice in Wonderland is right around the corner, so let's take a look at the world you are about to dive head long into!

It's a mouth full! Diamond expands their "Select" line with a journey to the dark side...a classic dark side we horror fans hold close to our hearts. Universal Monsters is often visited by collectibles companies but not rendered with the most care. Diamond has a clear love for the source material and pours it all into their new figure line. You can see the fruits of that labor HERE, but today, Diamond released a little official info and an image of The Creature from the Black Lagoon UM Select figure.

What better way to expand this specialty market exclusive line then the Iconic Universal Monsters. This now annual line debuts with none other then the legendary Creature from the Black Lagoon! Sculpted by Rudy Garcia with a base sculpted by Jean St. Jean, this seven-inch portrayal of the infamous Creature depicts the legend in perhaps it most screen accurate detail. The Select version includes an exclusive paint scheme as well detailed base featuring the films alluring Femme Fatale. In stores this May, $19.99.

These figures are packaged in the deluxe style like the Marvel Select figures with a bigger base, but there will also be a second version with a smaller base and smaller packaging for mass market and a 15.99 price tag. Deluxe Frankenstein will come with the lab table and the Mummy with his sarcophagus. There are paint variations between the two lines as well.

Universal Monster Retro-Style (AKA Mego) action figures are also on the way with Dracula and The Wolfman in wave 1 then the Mummy and Frankenstein in wave 2. EMCE lends a hand there, as you'd expect.

Minimates get their turn as well, starting with The Creature from the Black Lagoon. The heroines in these sets will only be available in comic shops. Mass Market versions will include a Black and White version of the main monster.

Universal Monsters is centered around the Halloween holiday, so every year, we'll get new releases for the lines. There will also be "evergreen" items that will hit the shelves year round. Which is which was not revealed, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough!

Monday, February 22, 2010

As much as I wish them away, Marvel Universe are here and people are buying them, so there is no end in sight! A pox on their tiny little houses. We hit Hasbro’s showroom at Toy Fair 2010 and learned Hasbro’s master plan for the line.

The numbers and waves reset for 2010 with the HAMMER files replacing the Fury Files and Mike Deodato creating the card art. Wave 1 has been in stores for some time now and wave 2 has been popping up with…

They also teased Thanos before revealing GALACTUS!! This monstrous 19 inch figure (which IS bigger than the 15 inch BAF Galactus) has lights and sounds and is packed with his favored herald, Silver Surfer. He’ll be on shelves in October but we suspect you’ll be able to buy him early at San Diego Comic Con, where I will take him home and call him Steve.

2 figure comic packs replace Secret Wars as it comes to an end with the FINAL WAVE. First in line will be..

Dark Phoenix and Cyclops, Dark Avengers Venom as Spider-Man and Dakken as Wolverine and Sentry and Spider-Man

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